Looking Back: March 12, 2014

The gold craze still continues, and thousands are flocking to lower California.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Haish and Rev. and Mrs. Lewis Curts will leave for the far west tomorrow. At Denver, Colo., they will attend exercises on the opening of the Haish Industrial School, toward which Mr. Haish contributed $50,000.

C.O. Boynton asked Judge Kellum for an injunction restraining the tax collector from collecting the personal property tax against him on the grounds that the assessment is too high.

Amund Moe has announced he is a candidate for town collector. Mr. Moe is sadly circumstanced, having two crippled and infirm children; he feels that he is as much in need of the help the office would be to him as anyone mentioned for the office.

The weather this week has been genuinely spring-like, so warm that overcoats were discarded and workmen labored in their shirt sleeves.

A thief helped himself to some corn and a few chickens at Rogers’ farm on Monday night, but the marauder aroused the household and was frightened away when he attempted to break into the house.

100 YEARS AGO

March 11, 1914

Much interest has been taken in the billiard tournament which has been in progress for about a month at Swenson’s billiard hall, which finished last Saturday night with the well-earned victory of Roy Snyder.

Alf. W. Johnson on Saturday completed the sale of his farm on the Charter Grove road to Charles E. Marshall, who owns the adjoining farm. The price paid was $225 an acre, the highest price ever paid for a tract of strictly farmland of so many acres in Sycamore Township.

It will soon be time to sow your oats, and the cost of treating them with formaldehyde is very small.

Another flurry of snow came on Tuesday afternoon, and weather conditions were altogether disagreeable.

A number of carnations were sent to grace the fourth-ward polling place and make it look a little more like a place appropriate for women officials and women voters, who appreciated the courtesy.

A vigorous attack was made at the monthly meeting of the Sycamore city council on the quality of ice shipped here for distribution to the public this summer. The ice was cut from the Fox river, from a point that is so polluted the state rivers and lakes commission has condemned it for such use.

Three young boys who escaped from the state home for boys at St. Charles turned bandits on Tuesday and shot and seriously wounded a wealthy farmer of Big Rock. A posse was quickly formed and the trio was finally captured in the woods.

There was little interest in the city primaries on Tuesday, as there were no contests. The only element of interest was the fact that it was the first time women had voted here. ...Although there was nothing of interest to vote for, the women turned out in good numbers to get in practice for elections to follow.

75 YEARS AGO

March 15, 1939

An ordinance was passed unanimously by the Sycamore city council Monday making it illegal to dump deleterious matter, especially acids and factory waste, into the sewers.

A large swarm of bees was dislodged by a group of WPA workmen who were cutting down an old tree south of Cortland. The bees had swarmed in a hollow portion of the tree. About 15 pounds of honey was removed from the tree.

Four men miraculously escaped death in Rockford when their automobile crashed into a viaduct, looped through the air and landed on its wheels in the creek 10 feet below.

The jitterbug contest for the Fireman’s Frolic is out, it being found that jitterbugs are as scarce as hen’s teeth in this immediate section and none of them want to “jit” anyway. Instead, the public will be entertained with a bang-up program: a quiz contest.

The woman who eagerly awaits the first robin doesn’t do any cheering when the first fly shows up.

50 YEARS AGO

March 11, 1964

Work was begun early Monday that will lead to the opening of a Mode O’Day Frock Shop in the empty space where Cooper’s jewelry store moved out recently.

Western Union has introduced a personal opinion message service, called POM, within the state of Illinois. Anyone in Illinois can call at or telephone a Western Union office and send the state capitol a POM stating his attitude on an issue of local, state, national or general interest, at a special low rate of 85 cents for 15 words. Western Union offers a similar POM service to Washington.

– Sycamore True Republican

25 YEARS AGO

March 8, 1989

Frank Beierlotzer spent his first week as Genoa police chief coping with staffing shortages, some due to illness, some due to recent resignations.

More than 130 exhibitors will fill the Northern Illinois University Field House this weekend for the annual trade and exposition show, which has a new name – Greater DeKalb/Sycamore Spring Show – signifying co-sponsorship by the Greater DeKalb Partnership (formerly DeKalb Chamber of Commerce) and the Greater Sycamore Chamber of Commerce.

Gov. James Thompson promoted his budget at a Republican fundraiser at Matthew Boone’s restaurant in DeKalb just one day after unveiling the proposal to the General Assembly.

Vocational education is being threatened by declining enrollments, more stringent college course requirements and inadequate vocational curriculum.

DeKalb County Disposal launched a pilot curbside recycling program in Sycamore’s Foy Addition last week. One hundred fifty households volunteered to participate.